A former Conservative leadership candidate is making an effort to listen to important issues in Windsor, as he prepares to announce another bid for the party's top position.
Durham MP Erin O'Toole attended Cramdon's Tap & Eatery in Windsor on Wednesday for a meet-and-greet with local Conservative members and supporters.
O'Toole, who came in third place in the 2017 Conservative Leadership race behind Maxime Bernier and current Tory Leader Andrew Scheer, said he intends to focus on key issues important to those in the Windsor region such as trade, the economy, the auto industry, Manufacturing, U.S.-Canada border crossings, and immigration.
The MP said he has not officially launched his leadership bid, but he is making the final preparations to do so by listening to issues in different areas of the province, such as Windsor-Essex. He said he always enjoys visiting the Windsor area because he understands the region can feel cut off from the rest of the province.
Ahead of the meet-and-greet, O'Toole spoke with BlackburnNews.com and accused the Trudeau government of dropping the ball in a number of areas including trade and the auto industry.
"I represent part of the area for GM Oshawa [and] the last car rolled off in December," he said. "Working people feel neglected from the Trudeau government and they don't think that some of the people in the NDP stand up for them when they're talking more about social justice issues."
O'Toole also stressed the importance of Windsor as a hub for international trade and completing the Gordie Howe International Bridge.
"Trudeau has let the whole bridge project fall down. As you know, the Harper government made it a priority even when the U.S. administration didn't," he said. "We know the importance of trade... and I'd like to support economic development efforts down here as well."
O'Toole served for 12 years in the Royal Canadian Air Force before moving to the private sector as a corporate lawyer. He has been elected three times in Durham (2012 by-election, 2015 and 2019), and has served as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of International Trade before becoming Minister of Veterans Affairs under the previous Harper Conservative government.
"I think my experience will make the Conservative Party relevant again in Ontario," O'Toole said.
